Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Attitudes of Each Family 2 Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Attitudes of Each Family 2 Aunt Yifang’s place.
Aunt i Yifang just lived opposite Uncle i Yongan, and she had married one of his colleagues.
At the sa ti Uncle returned ho, Aunt i Yifang also arrived at her house.
As soon as they entered the house, Uncle Qi Hua and his son Qi Yongwang stretched their necks to look over here.
The father and son knew where i Yifang had gone, and upon her return, they curiously asked, “You’re back, how did it go?”
i Yifang put down her bag before saying, “The house was divided, we signed the agreent. The siblings will split it into six equal parts. Those two kids didn’t want to live with us and will stay there; my elder sister will take care of them as usual.”
Qi Hua asked, “What did you all say? You didn’t make the children cry, did you? In my opinion, you should have taken it slow. Their parents have just passed away, can the kids even bear asking about the house?”
“What else could we do? My younger sister and brother are in a hurry. My fourth brother and sister-in-law started making plans even before they were buried. Now that the funeral is finally over, you think those two could hold back? Thankfully, it seems Zhenzhen was prepared for us to claim the house; she only made a few requests and then agreed to divide it.”
“What requests?” Qi Yongwang asked curiously.
“They can stay in the house until it’s demolished or unfit to live in, we help pay the utility bills, and my eldest sister said she would give them two hundred a month for living expenses. Eventually, no one gave them anything, so I just followed them back ho. Oh, and they don’t pay rent for living there,” i Yifang explained.
Upon hearing this, Qi Hua couldn’t help but laugh, “Not paying rent, Zhenzhen is quite amusing.”
But as Qi Hua laughed, he suddenly stopped, “Zhenzhen is really thorough. If she hadn’t been clear, maybe in a year my sister-in-law would really make the kids pay rent.”
i Yifang frowned, slightly displeased, “Originally, I also thought we shouldn’t give ground on the house; it’s rightfully ours. But we should give so living expenses. But who would have thought that in the end, not a single cent was given? Isn’t that a bit harsh? The kids are now helpless, and this is how the relatives behave?”
i Yifang’s idea was simple: not a penny less for what belonged to her, not a penny more for what didn’t, and she wouldn’t shirk her responsibilities. These two kids were her brother’s children after all. She thought it wouldn’t be necessary to bring them ho to raise, but she could at least subsidize them a little. There was no need to be so exacting among siblings.
Qi Yongwang’s thoughts were simpler, “Two hundred a month really isn’t much.” He thought that the money could be given; he received more than two hundred for his monthly allowance. By giving the money, his cousins would rember their generosity, and even if they didn’t, losing two hundred wasn’t a big deal.
Qi Hua knew what this mother and son were thinking, “Your mom just goes with the flow. If everyone gave, she would give too, but she would feel cheated being the only one giving while others didn’t.”
Indeed, that was exactly what i Yinan was thinking.
“But, I don’t think that’s necessary. Since the house has already been divided, we can help the kids out with their needs from ti to ti.”
Already feeling that she hadn’t treated the children fairly, i Yifang quickly nodded agreent upon Qi Hua’s suggestion, “Fine, that works too.”
Qi Hua, curious, asked, “You said the money was divided into six parts. Your brother and sister-in-law didn’t object? I can’t imagine those two would leave a share for the kids.”
“That was Zhenzhen’s idea. Otherwise, the agreent wouldn’t have been signed. Do you think those two would have agreed otherwise?”
…
Aunt Yifan’s place.
Aunt i Yifan also lived nearby, in the building opposite her elder sister’s house.
Aunt’s husband Wang Gaofeng was in the living room when he heard the sound of high heels coming upstairs. Before she even reached the door, he hastily opened it, welcoming her from afar into the house.
Seeing the joy on i Yifan’s face, he felt relieved. Without even changing her shoes, he couldn’t resist eagerly asking, “How did it go, was it successful?”
“Yes, it was successful. How could it not be? If not, I wouldn’t have left today. But…”
Seeing i Yifan hesitating, Wang Gaofeng quickly asked, “But what? It’s successful, right? Why the hesitation?”
With a sigh, i Yifan said, “What’s the rush? We did divide the money, but it was divided into six parts.” She emphasized ‘six’ with considerable annoyance for getting less than expected.
At this point, Wang Gaofeng also frowned, “Why six parts? Shouldn’t it have been five? The person is gone, how can they still take a share? Tell what exactly happened. I said I should have gone with you, but you insisted I shouldn’t. How much did we lose out on?”
“Even if you went, you’d have to wait for my eldest sister’s approval, plus nobody else brought anyone either,” i Yifan said with so resentnt, then carefully recapped the whole incident, including the details about utility and living expenses.
The more Wang Gaofeng listened, the more speechless he beca—they hadn’t even received the money yet, and they were expected to pay out. Fortunately, i Yifan ca back; if she had lent the money out, he was sure he would be demanding it back right then and there.
Thinking over the process, Wang Gaofeng focused on another detail. Once it clicked, he slamd down on the coffee table several tis, angrily exclaiming, “I can’t believe it, that girl is quite the scher, thinking of all these details. I always thought she was honest and easy to bully, but I never realized how crafty she was. The quiet dogs are the ones that bite, and her daily performances are truly convincing.”
Wang Gaofeng was so accusatory because i ngzhen had entirely blocked every possible way he had thought of to get money—the utilities, the rent, even the communal funds were all inaccessible.
He had planned that once the kids were taken in by relatives and the house was empty, he could rent it out short-term. It wasn’t a lot of money, but it was still inco.
If others didn’t want the money, he would have taken it all for himself. If others wanted it, well, it was still a share. As long as there was money, even a penny was valuable.
But now, seeing the money that could have been in his pocket seemingly gone, the avaricious Wang Gaofeng couldn’t stand it and cursed out loud.
“So, you all agreed to it, everyone agreed, and let them live there without paying a cent in rent,” he said in disbelief.
i Yifan didn’t want it either, but what else could she do? “Nobody had an objection, and if we stayed, we might have had to pay more. Forget it, as long as we get our share, stop scheming. The agreent is clear, so don’t create complications. Seeing how my eldest sister is, if she tears up the agreent, we might end up with nothing.”
Wang Gaofeng nodded, “Yeah, whatever, when the demolition compensation arrives, we’ll find a way to deduct that money from her.”
No matter how cunning a child is, how could they outwit an adult? The money he wanted, he could always get his hands on it eventually.
Hearing Wang Gaofeng’s words, i Yifan got the hint. Right, it doesn’t matter if it’s not in hand. The money hasn’t vanished; we’ll find a way later. Besides, she didn’t believe she was the only one coveting that sum.
Her mood had been sowhat sour before, but now it suddenly lifted.
Reviews
All reviews (0)